I thought I would share bits and pieces of my life. I am a lifelong Christian. I have been married for over 37 years to Stan. No children. We have 2 Miniature Pinschers named MoneyPenny and Spunky Monkey and 3 Italian Greyhounds named Persephone, Dresden and Capodimonte. We have 9 nieces and nephews whom we love. My hobbies are genealogy, reading, digital scrapbooking, history, dogs, homemaking.

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..........Contact me at Mom25dogs@gmail.com.........

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Cheap Gifts

I did a list of Clutter Free Gifts in an earlier posting. But how about CHEAP gifts!?! If you are on a budget, then you might need some ideas on cheap Christmas gifts. Even if you aren't on a budget, you may just want to make a project this year of how much money you save instead of how much you spend on Christmas gifts. Anyway, I got online and found some great ideas for cheap Christmas gifts.

Gourmet coffees with a personal coffee cup

Pound of pistachios or other nuts

Child's artwork, framed

Teacup with box of herbal tea

Deck of cards and book of card game rules

Homemade cocoa mix in a pretty jar

Collage of special photos

Gel pens and pretty stationary You can make your own stationary by cutting 8 1/2 x 11 sheets in half and adding a rubberstamped image or some stickers.

Bottle of sparkling cider

Home baked bread, include recipe

Disposable camera or rolls of film or offer to pay for digital photo printing.

Small basket filled with a deli cheese, crackers and fruit

Craft supplies

Pretty basket filled with special jams or mustards that you made

Decorative napkins and napkin rings. You would be surprised at what nice napkins you can buy at yard sales or thrift stores. Launder, iron and make some napkin rings.

Fancy chocolate bars tied with a ribbon

Gardening gloves with a plant or flower seeds

Photo album, hand decorated is even better

Makeup tote

Prepaid photo developing envelopes

Homemade cookie mix with instructions for baking

Variety of bread mixes

Special coffee cup filled with candy

Fancy magazines tied together with a pretty ribbon

Gourmet popcorn and flavored oil

Locally made barbeque or steak sauce with basting brush

Pancake or waffle mix and a bottle of real maple syrup

Movie theater gift certificates

Jar of sourwood or pure honey with biscuit mix

Book of stamps

Picture frames, buy them on sale or at yard sales

Make your own cookbook, print and put in a binder you got at a yard sale

Pretty glass jar filled with candy

Collectible sports cards

Muffin mixes with muffin pan

Books, there are still a few for under $10, especially if you buy them at yard sales or library book sales or thrift shops

Set of dish towels and dish cloths

Nail polish kit

Pretty night shirt

Basket filled with kitchen gadgets

Video rental gift certificates

For the pets, gourmet dog biscuits or cat treats, you can make these yourself

Baking pans and supplies

Prepaid long distance phone cards

Pretty photo box for keepsakes

Colorful Post-It notepads

Address book and put your address in it

Christmas ornaments, you can make some great ones

Blank video or cassette tapes

Sewing supplies

Flashlight with batteries

Favorite quote embroidered on a nice handkerchief

Makeup brush set

Expensive socks, still under $10

Special soaps and bath puff

Home baked cookies!

Paint a clay pot. Think polka dots (using the eraser of a pencil dipped in acrylic paint), circles (using a glass turned upside down and pencil around it for a pattern, then paint), stripes, dip the top in paint and let it drizzle down. If you are good with painting, paint a scene or use a stencil.
Make a birdhouse and paint it if you want with your leftover house paint.

If you are able to knit and pearl then how about knitting a scarf. I haven't a clue about how to follow a knitting pattern but I can knit and pearl so making a scarf is easy! It's just a loooonnnngggg square! Or you can use cotton yarn and make dishcloths. It's just basically making a square. But you may be a knitter and know how to make socks, mittens, hats...Go for it!

If you can sew and have a sewing machine how about making doll clothes, Barbie dresses, pillows, tote bags, tablecloth, napkins. If you are a sewer then you know how to shop for fabric and bring home the cheap bargains.

Make a mixed CD

Make a DVD using family photos or old family movies and give to family members like Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, etc.

Make a dress-up box for boys or girls. For the girl's box, shop thrift stores or yard sales (or your own closet) and put together some scarves, high heel shoes, hats, aprons, dresses, cocktail dresses. Be sure and wash them before gifting them. Spray the shoes and hats with Lysol. For the boy's box put in cowboy boots, hats, ties, sports coat, Halloween costumes you got on sale after Halloween like firemen, policeman, pirate, etc.

Make a homemade felt board. Buy felt and use a large piece of cardboard. Cut the felt and glue to the cardboard to make a generic scene. Maybe a room in your house, or a hill top with clouds. Then use felt to make trees, bushes, houses, furniture, animals, even felt people (making to look like your family). If you don't feel comfortable with cutting in free form, use coloring book images as a pattern. The child can arrange the items on the felt board and tell stories.

How about making pillow cases? Trace their name on it with pencil and embroider them.

Make tie dyed tshirts for the teenagers.

Make walking sticks! Find branches that would make good walking sticks. Use a knife to whittle off the bark in several places. Use a burning tool to burn designs on these places such as animal heads, animal tracks, etc. After you have the designs burned on the stick then coat with a couple of layers of polyurethane. You can also drill a hole in the top and loop a piece of leather thong through it.

Buy some plain and cheap photo frames. Decorate them according to the recipient's taste and put a favorite scripture or photo inside. Using glue or a hot glue gun you can glue on rocks, silk flowers, shells, beads, little painted wooden embellishments that you buy in the wood section of your craft store, their favorite candy wrappers, etc.

Make a winter scarf or afghan using fleece. It can be a no-sew project. Do a Google search on how to do it.

If you are a beader then make cheap bracelets, necklaces or ID holders.

Bath Salts
4 cups Epsom salts
2 cups sea salt
Essential oils for scent (lavender is excellent for relaxation, citrus oils also work well)
Food coloring (optional)
Mix the two salts together; this is the base for your bath salts. Using 2 cups of salt at a time, add 4 to 10 drops of essential oil and food coloring as desired. Mix well, then place in a ziplock bag. Let cure for two weeks, shaking at least once daily. Once salts have cured for two weeks, transfer to containers for use in gift basket.

Clock works can be bought at craft stores for $5-$7. Make a clock using anything. How about an old circuit board? An old plate (using a special drill bit for china)?

Read a book and make a book on CD for your loved ones. It just takes time.

If you are an artist how about making an original sketch, painting, story, CD of your songs, CD of your music, write a story, draw a cartoon, etc.

Use an old sweater to make a "winter" pillow.

Use old clothes to make a quilt, a quilted wallhanging. Especially meaningful if made from the recipient's old clothes.

Make a birdseed ball.

Make Christmas ornaments using old CDs.

Make a puppet.

Make finger puppets.

Make herbal olive oil or vinegars and put in old wine bottles. But the pour spouts for next to nothing.